It’s happened to me. And if you’re reading this, chances are it’s happened to you, too.

You go above and beyond for a particular customer and, in return, ask for a testimonial in an email.

And when you do…

Crickets.

No reply. No testimonial. And no brand exposure.

If that sounds familiar, don’t worry—you’re not alone.

Often, it’s not that your work isn’t up to scratch; it’s that you’re asking the wrong way.

It’s no secret testimonials are the driving force behind purchasing decisions. Yet so few businesses are using them to their advantage. And those who are, aren’t always following best practices.

In this article, I want to set the record straight. We’ll discuss seven types of testimonial you can use in your online marketing to drive more conversions, increase your bottom line, and instill brand loyalty. If you’re looking for good customer testimonial examples, this article’s especially for you…

Dallas addresses a common concern prospects have when buying online (“Is this a scam?”) before transitioning into the transformation he underwent having taken action (read: make a purchase).

Assignment: If you’re using quote testimonials, ensure each has a hero image and relevant CTA that gives the visitor the chance to learn more about the customer’s transformation (if you’re in a high-end market), rather than the product.

2. Influencer Testimonials

Influencers are a lot like high school quarterbacks.

Popular for many but near impossible to pin down.

Getting the coveted high-five in the hallway from an influence is impressive in its own right, but what’s really impressive—and where you ought to focus your outreach efforts—is getting press from influencers in your market.

Consumer reviews will vary in importance depending on the industry you’re in.

If you’re in e-commerce, it’s more likely a customer will write a review as a blog post (especially if they’re an affiliate trying to target prospect at the consideration stage of the buyer’s journey).

5. Case Studies

Case studies are an opportunity to really sell the reader on the transformation a previous customer made.

Using a copywriting formula like before—after—bridge (BAB), you can show readers where a customer was before they made a purchase, where they are now, after making a purchase, and bridge the gap using your product or service.

Ramit Sethi from I Will Teach You to Be Rich utilizes video to market his flagship product, Zero to Launch—with a twist. Rather than focus on the benefit to the viewer, Ramit differentiates himself by focusing on the transformation of previous customers.

Merging professional production values with insightful interviews and accompanying case studies, Ramit showcases his most successful students to sell his course for him (note the “Success Story Quick Wins” for the casual reader):

Other business owners, like the aforementioned Orabrush, feature customer video reviews on their homepage:

Once upon a time, video testimonials were reserved for companies with 6-figure marketing budgets.

Today, however, anyone with a smartphone can record a video anywhere, anytime, and capture their thoughts on their favorite brand.

No more excuses.

Assignment: Ask customers to record a short testimonial video on their smartphone discussing what they enjoy most about your brand. Then, showcase them at critical points in the buyer’s journey.

7. Documentary Series

Like most marketers, I thought I had witnessed everything when it came to customer testimonials.

Until I came across Bryan Harris.

In 2016, Brian launched his flagship product, Get 10,000 Subscribers, but went above and beyond when interviewing previous customers:

He filmed a documentary series.

With a camera crew on hand, Bryan visited three former students at their homes to document how their lives were different having enrolled on his course.

While it’s impossible to know how much the documentary series directly impacted Videofruit’s annual revenue (only Bryan knows that), few can deny the influential power of spotlighting customer successes.

There’s something about giving prospects a glimpse into what their life could be like if they made a purchase that takes product marketing to a whole other level.

Filming a documentary might not be for everyone. And it might not be for you or your industry. But more business owners are opting for more professional videos to market their products moving forward for good reason:

It works.

Assignment: Ask your existing customers how their lives are different having bought your product and if possible, feature them in a documentary highlighting their transformation.

Successful customer testimonials is about trust

Years ago, a brand could avert your eyes from bad press. Today, the power is at the consumer’s fingertips.

A company’s reputation is only a few keystrokes away. And with that in mind, it’s your responsibility to ensure that reputation is positive.

Don’t forget:

A testimonial is only as successful as the customer who gives it.

You can have the best marketing product in the world, but if you’re not impacting the lives of those who purchase it, your testimonials are nothing but digital paperweights.

Which type of testimonial do you use? Leave a comment below.

Sam Thomas Davies

Sam is the Content Marketing Manager at Sleeknote. His specialties include copywriting, direct response marketing and SEO. When he’s not helping ecommerce businesses engage their site visitors, you can find him playing guitar, reading, and writing generic author profile bios.

May 3rd, 2017 at 7:25 pm

Alexi Lambert

Great ideas on how to tangibly attain customer testimonials! Especially, since they’ve become increasingly important for all industries, but more so in e-commerce.

I love the “Assignments” piece that you’ve added to the various sections. This is an excellent example of interactive content for your readers. Well done.

I would only suggest that you provide social sharing icons for this article on this page. That way people can choose to curate this article, giving you higher backlinks, or, they can send it to their colleagues on their teams.

I just shared it with my fellow colleagues at my marketing agency, but I had to share it by other means. So, if you did choose to provide that sharing capability, then you would have a better awareness of the engagement with this article since you would get the analytical side of your content performance.

Even with those suggestions, this was a great piece, and I honestly enjoyed it. Thanks for your insight!

Thanks, Alexi. It’s great to have you reading. re. social shares, we’re about to redesign our site with social share buttons included so it will be easier to share our content in the future. Thanks for the constructive feedback 🙂